ACA enrollment

[cjnix29]

Anyone get their health insurance through the marketplace? My husband has changed jobs and we are looking at this as a possible option, but I have no idea where to even start, aside from healthcare.gov Any advice would be welcome!

 

[Willow Ufgood]

Anyone get their health insurance through the marketplace? My husband has changed jobs and we are looking at this as a possible option, but I have no idea where to even start, aside from healthcare.gov Any advice would be welcome!

Healthcare.gov is probably your best source if you expect to enroll in a subsidized plan due to lower income. If you make too much to qualify, it will still provide you with a list of insurance carriers for your location.

Some states also run their own plans which might offer you financial assistance that the federal government does not provide. In Pennsylvania, the program is called Pennie. I don't know what is available in other states but you only need to Google your individual state to see what is offered.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Here’s the list of states with their own exchanges list If you aren’t listed, he’ll apply through that website.

If he has lost his healthcare coverage he can apply under special enrollment now. If he’s only looking for next year you have to wait until Nov.

If he is just looking to compare a new job’s health insurance to ACA he’ll most likely be out of luck qualifying for savings. “If you have job-based insurance now or get an offer for job-based insurance, you won’t qualify for savings on a Marketplace plan if the job-based plan is considered affordable and meets minimum standards. Most job-based plans meet these standards.” Link

 

[tvguy]

You will need to do shopping. The ACA, at least for me, changed the price of private health insurance. Our financial planner had software that included all our budget information, and prior to 2010 (when ACA was signed into law) private insurance was the least expensive option when compared to COBRA coverage. When we retired, before age 65 when we qualified for Medicare, in 2021 private insurance for my wife and I through Covered California, the California version of the market place was $3,000 a month, because we did not qualify for any subsidies. COBRA from my wife's employer was $1,200 a month. Of course, with COBRA, in most instances, you only qualify for coverage for 18 months. On MEDICARE now, with a Cadillac Medigap policy, dental, vision, hearing and prescription coverage, at just under $600 a month for the two of us. We have breathing room now.

 

[Best Aunt]

Some (all?) states have "navigators" who help you choose a plan.

 

[tvguy]

And make sure to take the extra step and check that the SPECIFIC policy you are considering is actually accepted by your Doctor, or Doctors in general in your area.
A friend learned the hard way, that while a Doctor's website may say they take, say, Blue Shield insurance for example......the specific plan that Blue Shield sells under ACA may not be accepted. She lives in a town of about 100,000, and a lot a Doctors accept Blue Shield, but NONE accepted the specific plan she selected under ACA. She had a major health issue and had to travel 150 miles to a community of 1.5 million to find any Doctors that took that plan. This open enrollment, she switched to a different plan from Blue Shield that a few Doctors in her town do take.

 

[crisi]

We did it when my husband and I were both self employed. We made far too much for any subsidies, but Minnesota's marketplace (MNSure) got us insurance for just a little more than our copay had been and it was pretty good insurance. We hadn't had awesome insurance before that, so it was a functional wash. Then my husband went back to a corporate job with better insurance and reasonable costs.